milwaukee journal sentinel november 11 2015 obituaries

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL NOVEMBER 11 2015 OBITUARIES HOW TO
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL NOVEMBER 11 2015 OBITUARIES LICENSE

As I hit the street intersection traveling at about 70 miles per hour, a cross wind caught my plane and swerved it toward the crowd of spectators. Both sides of the street were lined with people watching the exhibition. Because of the wet pavement which caused my plane to skid, I saw that I would have to get under the wires. I had intended to fly above some high tension wires which crossed the street about a block away. As I started my machine, it began to skid on the wet pavement. The city fire department was called out to wet the street and lay the dust. In the afternoon, however, a stiff wind sprang up and blew sand and dust around. My first flight in the morning went off without mishap. As John related it:Īt Tomahawk, I had to take off directly from the street in the heart of the city. In fact, it resulted in one of his closest calls.

This is how he recalled it:įrom Milwaukee Journal, September 2, 1939Īnother July 4th flight did not end so well. High winds played the part in another Kaminski adventure.

Although the spectators had waited long to see Kaminski fly, they probably considered it well worth the time. Then he shut off the engine and let it glide back to earth. Somehow, he managed to control his plane and take it up to 5,000 feet. When he was still low in the air, the spectators could see him being rocked in his open seat by the high winds. Against the advice of his helpers who warned that the wind was still too strong, Kaminski took off. At five o'clock, Kaminski decided he couldn't disappoint the crowd. Even though strong winds kept Kaminski on the ground through most of the day, the crowd waited patiently. For example, in May, 1913, a large crowd gathered in Akron, Ohio to watch Kaminski fly. After graduation, John spent three years flying with the 'Three Ring Aerial Circus.' He was often hired by State Fairs and such to take his plane on short flights so that the people in the grandstands could watch. People would travel miles just to have the privilege of watching another man fly. Kaminski, from Back in those days, human flight was still awe-inspiring. There is a replica is at the Smithstonian in Washington.) When he touched down with that plane two miles north of North Lake, he became the first pilot to land in Waukesha County. (That craft, named 'Sweetheart' was lovingly restored by Dale Crites of Waukesha and Earl Cox of Hartland, and is now on exhibit at the Experimental Aircraft Museum in Oshkosh. (Kaminski often told people he was only 16 when he got his license, but he was really 18.) Returning home, he became the first licensed pilot in Wisconsin, where he recorded other 'firsts.' For example, when he bought a Curtiss Pusher in 1912 for $5,000, he became the first Wisconsin resident to own a plane.

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL NOVEMBER 11 2015 OBITUARIES LICENSE

When he graduated in 1912, his pilot's license was the 121st issued in the world, and he, reportedly, became the youngest person licensed to fly a plane. Suddenly, his dream of soaring like the gulls became a possibility.īy 1911, John had made his way to San Diego and the Curtiss Aviation School.

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL NOVEMBER 11 2015 OBITUARIES HOW TO

John was just shy of ten years when the Wright brothers shocked the world by showing humans how to fly. He told his grandfather that one day, he was going to fly like them. Growing up, one of his favorite pursuits was to go down to the lakefront and watch the soaring seagulls. John Kaminski was born on the Eastside of Milwaukee to Stanley Kaminski, a grocer, and Mary (Erdman/Ertmann) Kaminski. John Kaminski at age 19, from Milwaukee Journal, May 22, 1913 This was the plane flown by Milwaukee native, and the first Polish-American aviator, John G. If something went wrong, the engine coughed out, a propeller snapped, the wind blew a little too hard, then the plane would hit the ground, usually pilot-first. Like all planes of that era, it could be a death trap. The pilot is in a harness and turns the plane by leaning either to the right or left of the open seat. It is a fragile contraption made of baling wire, bamboo and cotton fabric. It is called a 'pusher' because the motor is mounted behind the pilot and faces backward, pushing the air away from the plane. It is a replica of a plane built in 1911 by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammonsport, NY. The next time you visit the terminal at General Mitchell International Airport take a look at the old 'pusher' plane located in the concession area.

Milwaukee journal sentinel november 11 2015 obituaries